ANTIGONISH: A taxi driver accused of sexual assault was found guilty last week.
On November 4, Antigonish Provincial Court Judge Laurie Halfpenny-MacQuarrie found William Roger MacLellan guilty on a charge of sexual assault. Sentencing is set for January 16 in Antigonish Provincial Court.
The judge heard final arguments on the case on August 30 in Truro Provincial Court. The defense called its final witness in the trial in Truro Provincial Court on June 29. Both the crown and defense also entered an agreed-upon statement of facts in regards to a surveillance video offered as evidence in the trial.
On June 3 in Antigonish Provincial Court, the defense called two of MacLellan’s employees and MacLellan himself. At the time, Crown attorney Thomas Kayter said MacLellan testified to not being a part of the incident for which he was charged.
Earlier in the trial, the crown called a witness, a cabdriver, to eliminate the witness as a potential suspect and to identify MacLellan in a convenience store video.
“The big issue was identification and we encountered some very complex legal issues around ID,” Kayter said. “In the end, the Crown was able to surmount those issues and we got the conviction. We’re naturally very pleased.”
On January 19, the prosecution decided to no longer pursue one of the two sexual assault charges MacLellan previously faced.
When asked about the upcoming sentence, Kayter said it is too early to tell for sure but “it looks like it could be a year, minimum.”
Kayter also said MacLellan is still on release until sentencing.
“The conditions that he has been subject to remain in effect,” he said. “He’s able to continue working until he’s sentenced but there are limitations on who he can have in his taxi… most relevantly for the community is no unaccompanied females.”
Kayter said there will likely be other restrictions coming for other sources other than the court, such as municipal by-law officers.
“Whether or not Mr. MacLellan can operate that taxi may be an issue for the Town of Antigonish,” he said. “I’ve heard there may be some limitations there. It’s quite ordinary for somebody to continue working until they’re sentenced and we’ve placed appropriate limitations on what Mr. MacLellan can do to protect our community.”